Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
UK's Cameron pledges crackdown on welfare fraud
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Comments (0)
Save
Email
Print
Reprints
Most Popular
Most Shared
UPDATE 1-Obama attacks Bush policies in Bush's home state
09 Aug 2010
Ex-Senator Stevens dies in Alaska plane crash
4:32pm EDT
Fed takes fresh steps to support fragile recovery
4:39pm EDT
Wall St ends lower after Fed, but off session lows
4:32pm EDT
Cancer cells slurp up fructose, US study finds
02 Aug 2010
S.Korea vows firm response to more North provocation
2:09am EDT
Modern Etiquette: Holidaying in polite style
09 Aug 2010
Oracle's Ellison blasts HP board for Hurd's exit
3:09am EDT
Obama attacks Bush policies in Bush's home state
09 Aug 2010
Pentagon to shut military command and cut jobs
3:50am EDT
UPDATE 1-Obama attacks Bush policies in Bush's home state
09 Aug 2010
Cancer cells slurp up fructose, US study finds
02 Aug 2010
Russian drought fires
09 Aug 2010
Fed takes fresh steps to support fragile recovery
4:39pm EDT
Ex-Senator Stevens dies in Alaska plane crash
4:32pm EDT
Editor's Choice
7:25am EDT
TEXT-Oracle CEO Ellison's comments on exit of HP's Hurd
09 Aug 2010
Pentagon to shut military command and cut jobs
3:50am EDT
Dog chews off Michigan man's toe, saves his life
04 Aug 2010
Attractive women overlooked for certain jobs: study
09 Aug 2010
UK's Cameron pledges crackdown on welfare fraud
Digg This
Tweet This
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Facebook
Factbox
FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in Britain
Mon, Aug 2 2010
Related News
Cameron and Zardari seek to repair UK-Pakistani ties
Fri, Aug 6 2010
UK's Cameron, Zardari try to repair relations
Thu, Aug 5 2010
UK watchdog says green steps help close budget gap
Thu, Jul 22 2010
Cameron tells UK diplomats to put trade first
Wed, Jul 21 2010
Related Topics
World »
By Kylie MacLellan
LONDON |
Tue Aug 10, 2010 2:12pm EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron pledged Tuesday to crack down on benefit fraud and to cut waste in the welfare system as a step toward cutting the record peacetime budget deficit.
"In our benefit system there is about 1.5 billion pounds ($2.36 billion) claimed every year by people who aren't entitled to claim that money. That is fraud. That is wrong," Cameron told voters at a town hall event in Manchester, northwestern England.
Cameron said his coalition government intended to make greater use of information from private-sector credit referencing agencies to help spot benefit cheats.
Cracking down on fraud in the benefit system was "the least we can do as we try and get the budget deficit under control," he said.
The opposition Labor Party said Cameron's deficit-cutting policies would increase the numbers of people who were unemployed and dependent on benefits -- at a cost to the taxpayer that would dwarf savings from fraud.
The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, which came to power in May, has said it will make cuts of at least 25 percent across most government departments as it tackles a budget deficit running at around 11 percent of national output.
It sees welfare as a prime area for savings.
Britain's Justice Ministry plans to cut 2 billion pounds from its 9 billion pound budget, putting up to 15,000 jobs at risk, a union said Tuesday, citing a letter from a ministry official.
Overall, welfare and tax credit fraud and error costs 5.2 billion pounds a year, Cameron said in an article for the Manchester Evening News. He said this would pay for more than 200 secondary schools or 150,000 nurses.
Of the 1.5 billion pounds fraudulently claimed each year, only 20 million pounds was recovered, with three quarters of the people who are caught escaping prosecution, he said.
"At a time when we're having to take such difficult decisions about how to cut back without damaging the things that matter the most, we should strain every sinew to cut error, waste and fraud in our welfare system," Cameron wrote.
Last month, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith launched proposals to overhaul Britain's 87 billion pound welfare system, aimed at simplifying the complex web of benefits available to reduce error and inefficiencies.
Cameron said the government was also looking at introducing tougher penalties for fraud, ensuring more prosecutions and making more effort to reclaim money that was paid out wrongly.
The government expects to publish its strategy for tackling welfare fraud and error in the autumn, he said.
(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft, Avril Ormsby; Editing by Alison Williams)
World
Add a Comment
*We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters.
© Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Reader Feedback
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Analyst Research
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
FindLaw
Reuters on Facebook
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Wednesday, 11 August 2010 Kabul attack kills two as Afghan civilian casualites rise
Burning Russia battles to defend nuclear sites
Putin wants Russian satnav system in new cars from 2012
InterContinental Hotels to create 160,000 jobs worldwide
US Fed promises stimulus to help slowing recovery
US-TECH Summary
Central African Republic asks U.N. council for help
|
WHO declares swine flu pandemic is over
Florida to sue major LCD makers for price fixing
Libya to fund Gaza homes after Israel approves aid
U.N. panel on Gaza flotilla incident begins work
|
A long, hot Ramadan for many devout Muslims
Iran plans help to Lebanon army as U.S. blocks aid
US productivity dips for first time since 2008
UK's Cameron pledges crackdown on welfare fraud
|
Saudi watchdog backtracks on BlackBerry ban
WHO chief says swine flu pandemic is over
Netflix and Epix strike programming deal
Israel weighed all options in Gaza boat raid
Nvidia chip team gets 25 million dollars from US military
Human rights groups ask WikiLeaks to censor files
Indonesia to crack down on porn over Ramadan
UN: Afghan civilian deaths rise sharply this year
Australian opposition plans to scrap broadband network
N.Korea goes YouTube for propaganda
Chinese 'peel' widget converts Apple Touch to phone: report
RIM to share some BlackBerry codes with Saudis: source
|
First Guantanamo trial under Obama opens
Dell to sell tablet for $300 with AT&T contract
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Over-40 actresses dominate September magazine covers
Dubai 'hot spots' freeze over as Ramadan nears
Hundreds of Muslims attend anti-terror summer camp
Captain Underpants' creator returns with more poopypants
Julia Robert's new movie worth the weight
Radical Indonesia preacher could face death penalty
Teachers face death in Thailand's troubled south
Saudis hoping giant clock will set 'Mecca Time'
'Spider-Man' musical set to open on Broadway
|
Over-40 actresses dominate September magazine covers
|
Elvis' granddaughter eyes Mad Max role
|
NATO: Roadside bomb kills 3 Afghan civilians
Anger grows in Russia press over slack fire response
Pakistani militants urge rejection of Western aid
|
U.N. panel on Gaza flotilla incident begins work
Obama signs 'libel tourism' bill
Supermodel Campbell defends war crimes testimony
U.N. report says Afghan civilian toll up 31 percent
|
Downpours bring more worries for China landslide town
|
Euro football championship advance vital for Spurs
NZ soldier buried after death in Afghanistan
Signs of movement towards Middle East peace talks
New superbugs spreading from South Asia: study
Chelsea agree Carvalho fee with Real
Taliban blamed for sharp rise in Afghan casualties
Bomb kills eight Iraqi soldiers, wounds four
|
BP spill cases to be heard in New Orleans
Virus sends costly messages from Android phones
Naomi Campbell says nothing to gain from diamonds
|
Colombia's Santos, Venezuela's Chavez restore ties
|
"Mad Men" ratings plunge 24 percent
Australian leaders to face 'Battle of Rooty Hill'
Sri Lankan war probe opens
Vatican US child sex abuse cases 'falling apart'
Pakistani militants urge rejection of Western aid
Pakistani Taliban urge rejection of foreign flood aid
Global Weather-Celsius
India may decide BlackBerry fate on Thursday
|
Downpours bring more worries for China landslide town
China mudslide rescue hopes fade as toll tops 700
"Mad Men" ratings plunge 24 percent
"Heartbroken" Fantasia overdoses over married man affair
Racing against time to preserve India's Parsi past
Japan's machinery orders up 1.6 percent in June
Stars of "Eat Pray Love" say it changed lives
Fiji wants to replace Pacific allies with China
China's inflation up after devastating floods
Elvis' granddaughter eyes "Mad Max" role
S.Korea urges N.Korea to return boat
Britney Spears to have cameo in "Glee"
Toyota suspends auto exports to Iran
'Spider-Man' musical set to open on Broadway
Nepal court to rule on 'Himalayan Viagra' murders
Taiwan stocks end down; Acer falls on weak sales
Seoul shares slip as Hynix leads tech slide
CORRECTED
New Zealand farmers most confident in 2 years -survey
Most 'failed to brake' in runaway Toyota crashes
S.Korean bonds rise early after U.S. Fed move
Heartbroken Fantasia overdoses over married man affair
|
Stars of Eat Pray Love say it changed lives
|
Korea Hot Stocks
Jane Lynch confirmed to host SNL
|
Mad Men ratings plunge 24 percent
|
Virus sends costly messages from Android phones
Google Street View throws light on web privacy
Israel wasn't ready for flotilla resistance-general
Russia deploys air defence missiles in Abkhazia
Direct talks in sight as U.S. envoy sees Netanyahu
|
Plastic Logic scraps long-awaited e-reader QUE
Top Iraqi officer warns US must stay past 2011
Pakistan issues fresh flood warning
Russia deploys missiles to protect Georgia rebels
|
British unemployment shows biggest drop for three years
New superbugs spreading from South Asia: study
Militant attack kills 8 Iraqi soldiers, 3 others
Israel wasn't ready for flotilla resistance: general
|
Industrial demand boosts Adecco net profit
Bodies of 4 American medical workers headed home
Nestle profits grow ahead of expected slowdown
Lebanon says aid to army must be unconditional
|
Lebanon court asks evidence from Hezbollah head
|
Russia says fires burn Chernobyl-tainted forests
|
Rwanda's Kagame wins election by landslide
|
Italy opposition wants united front vs Berlusconi
|
Setback for BlackBerry in India
|
Germany to keep close eye on Google Street View
|
R&B guitarist Phelps "Catfish" Collins dead at 66
Apple says to replace overheating iPods in Japan
|
Teri Hatcher sued by former business associate
Wi-Lan settles patent litigation with UTStarcom
|
Beijing resumes radio exercise sessions
India's Bharti profit slides as price war bites
Pakistani stocks, rupee end lower; o/n rates up
Tug of war over Czech Art Nouveau gem
Plastic Logic scraps long-awaited e-reader QUE
|
Jane Lynch confirmed to host "SNL"
Apple Japan offers to replace overheating iPod nano
Seoul shares end down 1.3 pct on growth woes
US dollar falls to a 15-year low against the yen
Heartbroken Fantasia overdoses over married man affair
|
R&B guitarist Phelps Catfish Collins dead at 66
|
Tiger Woods' TV allure: the train wreck factor
|
Teri Hatcher sued by former business associate
|
Busy mogul Nick Cannon finds time for pillow talk with Mariah
|
Old Spice hunk exchanges roles in Tyler Perry films
|
Wi-Lan settles patent litigation with UTStarcom
Apple says to replace overheating iPods in Japan
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights